Events to keep you in stitches

For those of us who knit, sew, crochet or engage in other kinds of handiwork, there’s never a dull moment. Our calendars fill up quickly with notices of classes, meetings of stitch groups, museum exhibits we want to see and shopping excursions we plan to make. So reach for your calendars, here are a few more to add to the mix:

•The Fiber Friends group meets noon-2 p.m. each Friday at the Page Farm and Home Museum on the University of Maine Campus. The group is open to all, and there is no cost to participate. Bring your latest project and stitch in the happy company of others. For more information, call the always helpful and informative Mary Bird at 866-2578.

• The Pine Tree Quilters Guild is planning a chartered bus trip to the 34th annual Vermont Quilt Festival, billed as the largest and oldest quilt show in New England. The trip is set for Friday through Sunday, June 25-27.

One does not need to be a member of the guild to go on the trip. There will be pickup locations in Bangor, Augusta and Portland.

• The eighth annual Spa, Knit and Spin, sponsored by New England Textile Arts, is set for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 26-28, with most events taking place at the Harraseeket Inn and the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport. Visit http://netafiberforum.blogspot.com/ for more information.

• Cloth Paper Scissors magazine has launched its new Web site at http://clothpaperscissors.com. Regular features of the Web site include a blog written by magazine founder and editorial director Pokey Bolton; a blog from magazine editor Jenn Mason; excerpts from past and current editions of the magazine, free mixed media projects and free mixed media videos.

Members of the online community may participate in reader challenges, socialize online with other mixed media artists, share images of projects on the photo gallery and engage in conversations in the forums.

• Kelly Pratt and Nancy Knowlton have opened a new quilt gallery in Bangor after operating Dockside Quilt Gallery in Deer Isle village for 20 years.

The new gallery is in the Made in Maine minimall, 304 Stillwater Ave., the former Northern Mattress store. The minimall features Maine craftspeople and artisans in seven stores, including another Deer Isle business, Deer Isle Granite, owned by Peter and Susan Perez. Several more stores are available for interested Maine-made businesses.

Dockside Quilt Gallery products are made in Deer Isle by the Knowlton family — Nancy, her daughters Kelly and Heather and granddaughter Emily. Knowlton and Pratt said they are seeking a broader market in Bangor.

• For those who like to mix crafting with charitable endeavors, visit www.beadforlife.org to learn how to host home parties to sell jewelry crafted by impoverished Ugandan women who make beads from recycled, colorful paper.

• A Fiber Faire is planned for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 22, in Southwest Harbor. Fiber arts instructors are needed to lead workshops. Proceeds from the event will be used for fiber arts scholarships for children attending the Summer Festival of Arts in July. If you want to teach a session or need more information, e-mail Kathy Norwood at knorwood@midmaine.com.